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Thursday, February 12, 2009

Hamas announced 'calm' before election to assess 'Israel and its policy'

GAZA CITY — The Hamas regime announced on the eve of the Israeli elections what officials termed a period of "calm" with its enemy.   

"We are working by consensus, and everyone agrees there is a need for quiet," an official said. "How long this lasts depends on Israel and its policy."

Officials said the Islamic regime in the Gaza Strip would no longer fire missiles and rockets toward Israel as long as it was not attacked by the Jewish state. They said Hamas, albeit unofficially, would try to stop missile attacks by Palestinian militias in the Gaza Strip.

"We will not tie down our resistance through a long-term truce because our strategic choice is resistance," Hamas military spokesman Abu Obeida said.

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Obeida said the so-called calm period has been approved by Palestinian militia allies in the Gaza Strip. He said in exchange for a lull in Palestinian attacks Israel must open all border crossings and allow supplies in the Gaza Strip.

"This position is not only our position, it is the position of all the Palestinian factions, all honest people in the Arab and Islamic world, and even in the free world," Abu Obeida said.

Officials said the calm was introduced on the eve of the Israeli elections on Feb. 10. They acknowledged that some militias could violate the ceasefire by firing occasional missiles and rockets.

On Feb. 11, Palestinian gunners fired mortars toward Israeli communities along the border with the Gaza Strip. A day later, Israeli aircraft struck a Hamas post in Khan Yunis.



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